Run and Hide
by Verbat1m
Summary: Blake and the crew attempt to rescue some political prisoners. (Part 1 of the Allies series)
1. Chapter 1

Run and Hide

The squadron waited. They had been waiting for weeks. Three class 4 experimental pursuit ships, the only vessels in the Federation which could, theoretically, reach time distort 13 had been positioned in the asteroid belt on the far reaches of the star cluster. Federation tactical control thought it was likely Blake would pass that way. They had seen a pattern. Blake was moving closer, inexorably, towards Earth. Given Liberator's last strike that would mean they would pass the asteroids orbiting Handa. But so far nothing.

Commander Greggs stifled a sigh, "Report." He already knew the result. His eyes glazed over as the response came in - no sign of Blake or his crew.

Greggs had designed these ships and when the Federation had offered him the chance to command them, he'd leapt at the opportunity. He would be the officer to catch Blake. He would demonstrate tactical acuity where Travis had failed. Travis with his barbarism. Travis, who didn't recognise the subtleties of his opponent. There was only so far hatred could take Travis and Greggs felt that point would soon be reached. What was needed was refinement, patience. Or so he told himself.

"Predators 2 and 3 reporting in," his computer announced. They were positioned in a new formation Greggs had developed having studied Blake's tactics carefully. As it turned out, Blake didn't employ strategies as such. He preferred hit and fade attacks relying on the speed of the Liberator to escape if anything went wrong. Well this time, his speed would not prove advantageous. Greggs' prototype UV drive could run pretty much indefinitely, refuelling simply by harvesting ultra violet frequencies from any stars the ship passed. And where he'd stationed his predators would ensure Blake would have to orbit several stars in order to escape, giving Gregg's fleet a speed advantage. In simulations, with a star close by, the ships had reached time distort 15. Now all he needed was Blake.

* * *

"Blake," Avon smiled sardonically, "is wrong. He relies on luck and speed. One day his luck will expire and his speed will be matched. His crew, his followers, cannot see that Blake's hubris will be his undoing. I shall not participate in another ill-conceived attempt to "hurt" the federation. The federation will keep hunting and following Blake until he has nowhere left to turn."

"He believes that hitting Handa will be significant and bring a little hope to the colonies on Jupiter and Saturn," replied Jenna.

"Does he now? And what do you say Jenna? Has your fearless leader, who has put our lives on the line many times for the good of those he has never met, convinced you that Handa and then Earth is worth targeting?" he paused. "I've been looking into the planet Handa. Zen's scanners have been monitoring incoming and outgoing craft. One thing struck me as odd. Freighters as they approach Handa disappear for three cycles from Zen's scanners. I had it confirmed that they vanish from the Federation ones too, due to strong solar flares emitted from Handa's star," he paused, "during the blackout, what if someone docked with a freighter and reset some controls?"

"Piracy, Avon? We'd be better off sticking with Blake."

Avon waited before answering, "Do you know, Jenna, what is on Handa? Apart from the political prisoners Blake's after? It's a Federation Data Centre containing information about each and every Federation citizen. It's part of a massive network connected to hundreds of other Data Centres. All information is passed between the centres so that any Federation official, with clearance, can access any records from anywhere in the Federation. It is updated every three cycles.

"I cannot leave the Liberator because I am too well known. Blake's fame has sullied us all. Were it known that we had left we would be hunted down and killed. But, a beam pulse signal, carrying an updated data file, with changed names and occupations, if that were to be beamed into Handa. Well then. I would be able to disappear. The freighters heading to Handa are carrying beam pulse units ready for the annual handover. They are already calibrated to the new frequency. It could take years for the altered records to be discovered. Perhaps, never."

Jenna looked at Avon for a long time. "And you need me to dock with the freighter and get you off before the blackout window closes."  
"Then we take as many riches as we want from the Liberator's store room, with Blake's permission, if it will appease your conscience, and I can start anew!"

Avon waited dramatically, curious to see if Jenna would agree to his scheme. However, a different voice answered.

"It's a good plan, Avon. I was planning to use the cycles to get us in. I was wondering how long you would want to stay. You can take as much from the stores as you want. After we have finished this mission."

Avon spun round to see Blake leaning against one of the entrances to the flight deck. He smiled but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Blake. I am not a member of this mission. You need me to run the computers in the silo and create a diversion while you complete your heroics. I have no desire to be part of your revolution nor risk my life again for no reward."

"Freedom is the reward, Avon. How long will your false ID upload work? You hope it will never be discovered. Imagine living your life never sure if someone will recognise you. That would be no life. I offer you permanent freedom."  
"If we keep following your stupid plans I'll be permanently dead and that's not the freedom I had in mind."

"Information. The planet Handa is now in view," interuppted Zen. Instantly, Blake became businesslike.

"We'll finish this later," he muttered, "Zen have they detected us?"

"There is no information."  
"Well have they launched any ships or weapons?" he asked irritably.  
"Negative. There is no activity from the planet."

"And the asteroid belt?"

"Negative."

"Right, so we proceed as planned," Blake turned to the communicator, "Villa, Gan, Cally, can you head for the teleporter please? Jenna, make sure Liberator remains on station. Right, we're ready. After you, Avon."

Avon glared at Blake and stood firm, "Blake, if we attack Handa the Federation will know we were here. The first thing they will change is the data pulse frequency. I may never get another chance to disappear!"

"The plan is for us to remain undetected, Avon. Trust me. When have I let you down before?"

Blake moved away down the corridor. Avon looked as if he had something to say in reply but thought better of it.

"I will consider helping you with your plan, Avon," said Jenna. "I don't know if I will join you in leaving but I think you would be better off away from Blake."

"He would be better away from me!" growled Avon as he left.

In the teleport section, the crew gathered their teleport bracelets. Cally collected some spares. The timing of the teleport had to be exact. Any deviation from the blackout window would result in the mission being aborted before it even started. As Avon attached his gun belt he wondered about forcing a change of plan by holding Blake at gun point. He knew however, that the crew were too loyal to Blake and would never allow a coup.

They walked to the teleport pad and Blake gave Gan the signal. The count down started and everyone waited nervously.  
"Wouldn't it be better just to…" Villa began. But before he could finish a buzzer sounded and Gan quickly activated the teleport.

"Good luck!"

* * *

"Are you sure it's them?" Greggs asked, his pulse quickening. The Liberator had shown up minutes before and after all the waiting, Greggs couldn't quite believe it was true.

"Shall we begin pursuit, Sir?" asked Cooplan, his second in command. Greggs did not use mutoids. He wanted his crew to have ideas and react to situations.

"No," he answered. "Wait for the next cycle to begin and signal the other two ships to begin moving on my command." And so the stage was set. In just a few moments the next cycle would begin and the hunt would commence.

Sure enough, as it had done each time before, the blackout came unannounced. Only if you were looking directly at a scanner would you notice that your readings were frozen. Most of the time it didn't matter –a few cycles were hardly noticeable. However, to a predator those moments were precious. They made you invisible.

Greggs' ships got underway.


	2. Chapter 2

The fact that everything had gone smoothly didn't bother Vila. He could open locks blindfolded and the thought of imminent death always motivated him. No, what concerned him was past history. Something always went wrong. Always. It was simply a question of when. Maybe through the next door would be a dozen guards with weapons raised. Perhaps, Avon would decide to turn off the air supply. No. Avon wouldn't act like that. Would he? As long as he had something to gain he wouldn't try something so rash. All the same, Vila found himself wondering if the air seemed a bit thin.

"Blake, does the air seem a bit" he began.

"Quiet," hissed Blake, concentrating on the badly drawn map he had rapidly copied from the schematic of the building. He began to walk down a purple corridor before taking a sharp right onto a near identical orange one. "Right, this is it. This is the control room for this section. Hopefully, Avon's distraction will mean that we will not be noticed but Cally be ready just in case. Vila get working on that door. Avon?" he tapped his bracelet but there was no response. "Avon!"

"Yes?" a bored voice replied.

"We are going to need that distraction in 10 seconds"

"The security grid will be down. But, Blake... I can't guarantee how long it will stay that way. Should it reactivate, I'll be able to teleport out but where you are is shielded. You're taking an awful risk."

"Your concern is appreciated," said Blake dryly. "And the distraction?"

"Oh, I thought a small air recycling malfunction may prove adequate. Just enough to knock out the guards. Nothing serious and not in your section, of course." Blake could almost hear Avon smile. "But it should trigger enough warning lights in your section's control room to send the guards scuttling off to help."

Before Blake had time to respond the door swung open. Vila had worked his magic again. What greeted them was a scene of chaos. Avon had not been exaggerating. Every light was flashing and siren blaring. The guards were desperately trying to locate the cause of the alert. Whilst they were distracted, Blake and his companions crept behind a computer bank.

"Well done, Avon!" murmured Blake, approvingly.

Before long the room was all but empty as the section commander ordered his troops to assist in the emergency. Blake smiled. With a little luck, his objective would be fulfilled without anyone detecting their presence and then Avon would have his chance to leave.

* * *

Liberator shook as a blast rocked the ship. Jenna, picking herself up off the floor, rushed to the force wall activator. "Zen report!"

"Tactical computer reports one plasma bolt impact. Auto repair circuits have been activated."

"Where did it come from?"

"Unknown. Logic circuits suggest that the plasma bolt was launched from a Federation pursuit ship."

"Impossible! We would have scanned them!" But then it dawned on Jenna that the Federation had used the blackout to mask their approach.

"Jenna? What's happening?" Gan's voice crackled over the communicator.

"We're under attack! Get up here fast!"

Jenna activated the force wall seconds before another bolt impacted. She left it active as, right now, energy consumption was the least of her worries. Zen gave her a 360 exterior view and she counted three enemy ships. Currently, thanks to the blackout, they were firing blind but soon Liberator would be at their mercy. She gave Zen a new heading and the ship started to come about. Could she risk a planet dive? Make it look as if they were out of control and then at the last second recover and teleport Blake and the others aboard? It was an old and rarely used smuggler's trick. Really a last resort. What if Blake needed to escape? They wouldn't be able to teleport until Liberator had levelled. She would need Gan to control Liberator's pitch and roll in such a sharp descent. There'd be no-one to operate the teleport. But if she didn't move Liberator now, there would be nowhere for Blake to escape to. Another blast and explosion made Jenna's mind up for her.

"Gan. You're about to get a crash course in flying the Liberator! I'll have to show you this quickly. Then we'll have to risk contacting Blake!"

* * *

Cally moved silently. She was far more adept at this than Blake could ever be. There were times when he simply had to sit back and admire a professional freedom fighter at work. As Cally approached the unsuspecting section commander, she raised her arm. One swift movement later and the commander lay unconscious on the floor. Blake smiled then sprung up, looking for the prisoner manifest. Finding it, he glanced down the list of names. Yes, this would stoke the fires on Saturn and Jupiter. As he had hoped, some of the most out outspoken critics of the Federation were being held in this prison.

"Right. Now remember this has to look like it was an inside job -that this Federation officer planned the whole thing. Vila plant the files in one of the living quarters." Vila disappeared down a green coloured corridor. Blake turned on his communicator, "Avon have you placed the new data file in the computer?"

"Yes. It is in place. Though I've had to reduce the Officer's IQ profile to make it believable that he would follow you. I've also created my fake identification for when I leave. Oh and Blake, I estimate the security grid will be functioning again within afew minutes. It's going to be tight."

"Right. Good work Avon. Now get to the landing platform. And remember, don't be seen!"

Blake looked across at Cally who was already placing incriminating evidence - computer passwords, algorithms and so on, into the pocket of the silent commander.

"Blake, we must free the prisoners. This man will not remain like this for much longer. You'd better hurry. I will send the message to the Federation."

Blake looked over the diagram of the prison cells. Cautiously, he used the prison key card to open the prison corridor door. Fortunately, no guards greeted him. Soon the prisoners were free but Blake didn't stop to celebrate. Quickly, he reached for his teleport bracelet.

"Liberator. Be ready for teleport soon. Confirm." No response. He waited an anxious moment before trying again. Still no answer. Blake changed his plan and ushered them to the landing platform. Looking concerned, Cally and Vila followed close behind.

Blake stood at the entrance to the landing platform. From his vantage point, he could see a freighter. It was always going to be a gamble -that there would be one ready for takeoff- and it looked like it had paid off. A bigger difficulty would be slipping past the flight crew before the security grid came back on. He turned to his crew, willing them to have some inspiration. If they couldn't make it look like the prisoners had escaped on a freighter, instead of being teleported aboard Liberator, the whole scheme would be in vain.

"I'm going to try and cause a malfunction!" Blake whispered.

"Blake, we have 3 minutes. At most. Very soon those troopers will be returning to their posts. Whatever you do. Do it quickly," replied Avon.

Blake, keeping low, headed for one of the mechanical loaders. Reaching up, he began to fiddle with the ignition. Suddenly, his bracelet sprang to life. Blake tried to muffle the noise but it was too late. The flight crew had turned to investigate the noise. The mission was over.

"Blake, emergency teleport! Stand by!" came Gan's voice again. Weapons now were trained on Blake and a security officer confidently stepped forward.

"Roj Blake!" he smiled. "Worth a fortune dead or alive!" His finger touched the trigger of his gun and Blake was consumed in white light.


	3. Chapter 3

"How many plasma bolts hit the target?" asked Greggs.

"It's difficult to tell, Sir. Due to the blackout we were firing blind. We believe at least two of our salvo found the target. Predator 2 was holding, as ordered, and 3 reported one direct hit."

Greggs sat back in his chair. Why hadn't Blake run? He'd been presented with a clear escape route, which Blake had ignored. At best three plasma bolts had struck the Liberator. Was that enough to cause her to planet dive? All the files he'd read suggested not. Which either meant the files were wrong or that Blake wasn't in command of his ship. In which case, the only place he could be was the planet Handa itself.

"Contact Federation Command. Inform them of a likely incursion on Handa. Recommend emergency frequency changes and review all logs from Handa over the last 10 hours."

"Yes, Sir." Cooplan, sent the communication. "Sir, Command reports a message has already been sent. Emergency frequency changes have already been implemented. Several prisoners have escaped and the base is on lockdown. Command does not mention the Liberator or Blake."

"Something's wrong here. Tell them that we have a confirmed sighting of the Liberator and Blake's whereabouts is unknown. Recommend immediate launch of pursuit ships and all local systems be put on alert." He watched his orders being followed, waiting for the response signal to come through.

"6 pursuit ships have been scrambled. Arrival time: 3 hours. The blackout cycle should end any moment, Sir."

"As soon as it does, Cooplan I want all three ships scanning the surface. Begin at the projected impact site and work out from there. I want to know if that ship was destroyed!"

* * *

Blake emerged from the teleport. Had Gan teleported a moment later, the white light he'd seen wouldn't have been the familiar glow of a successful teleportation. It would have been the vicious flash of a shock trooper's shot hitting its mark. And at that range, Blake didn't like his chances of survival.

Coughing, he looked around the teleport area. Smoke billowed from the teleport control station and fire had consumed the other teleport. Emergency lighting, mixed with the flames, told Blake all he needed to know. Despite his lungs feeling like they were going to collapse, Blake began to run to the flight deck.

"Zen, list the order the auto repair circuits have selected." Avon shouted. Zen's audio interface was damaged but his crackling voice was still audible.

"Power amplifier relay 4 minutes. Reserve air tanks 12 minutes. Neutron net port 17 minutes."

"These are not vital systems," said Cally. "They will not help us if out attackers return."

"No. It's computer logic," said Avon coolly. "Zen is simply listing the repairs in the same order that each critical system was damaged. Logical, but unhelpful. Zen, new priority override. Repair systems relating to the force wall and weapons. Confirm."

"Confirmed."

Jenna spotted Blake and the others entering the flight deck. She began to explain about the pursuit ships. When she finished there was silence. Jenna hadn't anticipated the damage the planet dive would cause. Whilst the plasma bolts had taken their toll, it was nothing compared to the damage caused by the manoeuvre she'd been forced to attempt.

"I'd imagine these ship were never designed to enter an atmosphere," said Avon quietly.

"Why?" asked Gan.

"Well," he looked into middle distance and linked his fingers together, "Liberator has a highly advanced teleport system. There should never be a need for the ship to touch the ground. Unless there was some sort of emergency. I wonder. Zen, prepare for an emergency landing!"

Everyone looked at Avon like he had gone mad but he just smiled placidly.

"Atmospheric shielding cannot engage. Damaged drive motors prevent shield plates from engaging. Auto repair estimates 90 minutes before it will be operational. Changing priority repairs."

"No. Continue with stated repairs," Avon said. "So the ship was designed to cope with an emergency landing but unfortunately, we didn't know about it." He glared at Jenna.

"Zen, prioritize the drive motors. Then continue with the other repairs," Blake looked at the others. "Until those plates are working we are stuck down here near the surface. We can't risk flying as high as the upper atmosphere, let alone space. What is the state of the power banks Zen?"  
"Banks 1 and 2 are entirely depleted. Bank 3 is on reserve power. 4 is at full capacity."

It took a moment for the news to sink in. They already knew that if they were discovered they could not fight but neither would they be able to operate the force wall or run for long. The situation was serious.

"You did the right thing, Jenna," said Blake. " Without your and Gan's impeccable timing I would have been shot. The mission however, was compromised. We may have provided the Federation with a clue as to my real intention."

"Don't worry, Blake. I'm sure they will think we just hit Handa at random, " said Gan.

"No, " Avon spoke up, "they will not think it was a random attack. It was naive to think the Federation would believe we were concentrating on frontier worlds in the first place. "

"It was working," insisted Blake. "Federation troops were being redeployed and stretched. "

"The Federation made you believe it was working. Meanwhile, we were blundering straight into another trap! It doesn't matter that we've struck 4 Federation bases on the frontier worlds in the last 2 months. They will be expecting you to attack Earth at some point."

"We had them guessing, Avon. It could, _should_ have worked. If we had stayed hidden, the Federation wouldn't know we are heading to Earth. And surprising Earth is the key."

"Why? It makes no difference."

"No, Blake is correct, Avon. It would have been an important victory. It would show all Blake's supporters that the Federation can be beaten with a strategic strike and their intelligence gathering can be undermined," said Cally.

"Yes," agreed Blake. "Although the Federation would never admit to failing intelligence, news of our surprise attack would have spread quickly. It would be a morale boost to any rebel cell. No longer would they be fighting an omnipotent force. The Federation would be dealt a significant blow."

Avon looked sceptical, "You sound like you believe your reputation over and above facts," he said. "You're blind Blake to think that your plans were not obvious to Federation command. The only failing intelligence is here on the Liberator." He looked pointedly at Blake.

Blake was clearly irritated but spoke with forced calmness.

"Well, since we were spotted on Handa, it makes little difference now anyway. Liberator will self repair but we need to find a safe haven. I suggest we head to the far side of the planet and shut down all but life support. That should speed up the repair circuits."

"So we run and hide?" said Vila.

"Yes."

Avon smiled, "You know, Blake as a rallying call it lacks a certain, inspiration. But as a reflection of your leadership technique it is most fitting."

Blake ignored him, "Perhaps Orac will be able to make some suggestions as to a possible landing site."

But Orac was no use. The storage room he'd been left in, much to his indignation, had been partially destroyed and his key damaged. Avon believed the computer itself was fully operational but it would take several days to repair the key.

* * *

The crash site contained no wreckage so the search area had been widened. It was slow, frustrating work as every few hours a new cycle would begin and the search had to be stopped.

"The reinforcement pursuit ships will arrive just after the next blackout cycle," reported Cooplan. Gregg was not entirely pleased. He wanted to be the one to claim Blake's scalp, not rely on Federation might. He had to think like Blake. Where would he go? Surely Liberator was damaged and could not survive another confrontation. So what would Blake do? Head as far from the crash site as possible.

The other side of the planet.

"Cooplan, set a course for Handa's blind side. Have the other Predators follow and resume standard search pattern. Time to next blackout?"

"36 minutes, Sir."

"Right. Fire up the UV drive. I want the first sweep flown before the blackout." Greggs sat back in his control chair, thinking hard. The computers should be able to handle the mass of data generated from their rapid flypast. Blake may have evaded him so far but his time was running out.

"If I might make a suggestion, Sir. Perhaps we could run a topological survey as we move to the other side? Maybe we should start our search at the deepest valley."

Greggs nodded his approval.


	4. Chapter 4

"Blake, something's not quite right..the pursuit ships which shot us down. I've been going over the recorded images and they're puzzling me , " Jenna said. "Something about their configuration is...wrong. "

Everyone looked up but no-one could see anything awry. To them they were staring at three standard pursuit ships.

"Got it!" Jenna pointed, "can you see that collector dish mounted just above the drive plates? Standard pursuit ships aren't fitted with dishes. "

Again everyone looked but their responses were non committal. It was such a tiny modification that no-one could imagine why the ships had been changed.

"Blake, I'm picking something up on the long range scanners. It's very faint but it's heading our way." said Gan.

He brought the image up on the viewer and magnified it. Three tiny specks, growing larger each moment, were heading directly towards them. Very soon there was no mistaking what they were. Jenna's pursuit ships. Zen estimated their speed to be standard by 11. There was no need to wonder about the modification now.

" Impossible," Vila's eyes were wide with fear. "No Federation ship can move at that speed."

"It was only a matter of time. We have provided them with all the motivation they would ever need to travel faster than they thought possible, " said Avon. "Zen are we able to raise the atmospheric shielding? "

"Shielding will be functional in 3 minutes. "

"Status of energy reserves and weapons? " asked Blake.

"Energy banks are at full. Weapons require a further 23 minutes to be functional. "

Avon spoke up, "Blake, there is a reasonable chance that at that speed those pursuit ships will lack manoeuvrability. If we can keep.."

"Flying irregular patterns we should be able to avoid them," finished Jenna racing to the controls.

"Quite. And it is highly unlikely their targeting scanners will be able to keep a lock at that speed."

It was one of the worst flights Jenna had ever piloted. Having to fly erratically and stay within a limited altitude tested her skills considerably. The ship lurched from heading to heading, never spending more than a few moments on each course. To begin with it worked adequately but the pursuit ships must have cut their speed as soon as they reached weapons range because soon the sky was filled with plasma bolts. Blake used the force wall sparingly. He knew that every time it was activated their chances of survival diminished. They would need as much power as possible to escape once through the atmosphere. But with shots seemingly coming from every direction, he was given little choice but to use it with increased frequency. All too soon he had drained the first energy bank.

The moment Zen announced the shielding was functional, the plates were closed and liberator rushed headlong into space. As Jenna set a new heading, Gan looked up incredulously from the scanner, "Blake, I'm reading 6 pursuit ships blocking our path!"

"What?" Avon ran over to confirm. "Blake, we won't survive a barrage from them. We must change course."

"No. Zen, increase speed to standard by 8. Jenna, hold course."

"Blake! Don't be a fool," Avon had a wild look in his eyes.

"4. No 6 plasma bolts running," called Vila. "Bearing directly. Blake, activate the force wall. Brace yourselves everyone."

Blake didn't move. Avon ran to switch on the force wall but Blake blocked his path. Vila held his breath. Any moment the end would come. And Blake seemed to be hastening it...

Seconds later Vila exhaled as he realized he was still alive. Checking his instruments, he noticed the scanner wasn't updating. "It's a blackout!"

"The plasma bolts wouldn't stay locked during a blackout and I knew one was due. We needed to conserve energy. So I took a chance," Blake said.

"With my life!" Avon fumed.

"We're pulling away from the pursuit ships," reported Cally. Everyone turned to look at the screen. The 6 ships which had lain in ambush were already mere dots. Blake ordered Cally to keep watch on the ships as the scanners would be down for the rest of the cycle. But even as he spoke, specks emerged from the cluster. The modified pursuit ships were giving chase.

"Increase speed!" said Blake.

* * *

"Liberator has passed the other pursuit ships. Scanners are no longer operating. I will keep Liberator within visual range," reported Cooplan.

Greggs was satisfied. He knew that although the Liberator was a fast ship, eventually it's power would drain. His Predators however, could recharge while in pursuit. He could track Blake to the ends of the universe. All he needed to do was shadow Liberator until its power gave out. Then Blake would be his. Greggs would gain the recognition he deserved and his new drive would make him a fortune. It was time to see how accurate the simulations were.

"Very good, Cooplan," said Greggs. "Let's extend the UV drive a little. Bring us up to time distort 12."

The quiet hum of the engines rose a little as the ship's speed increased. All the checks came back clear and Greggs' confidence increased. He knew his design would work. Blake had nowhere left to run.

* * *

Vila was getting nervous, which was not unusual. However, being nervous that the Liberator was too slow! That was unusual. Unheard of, even.

"What's their top speed do you reckon? " he asked again.

So far the pursuit ships had matched every speed increase Blake had ordered and then topped it. It felt like they were being toyed with, like a bird in a cat's paws. Little by little they were being run down. They were already in firing range and although Liberator had plenty of warning before a plasma bolt impacted, the force wall's activation was draining the energy banks.

"Fast. OK Vila? " Blake replied angrily.

"Well how fast can we go, Zen?"

"Liberator is capable of speed standard by 12. On full power reserve, Liberator could maintain that speed for 1.5hours. "

Which would not be long enough to lose their pursuers. So until something better came along all they could do was increase speed and hope to outpace their enemy. They had tried everything they could think of: quick planetary orbits, close sun passes, sudden stomach churning changes of direction but nothing had worked. Their opponent was relentless. Now they had diverted all none essential system power to the reserve banks.

"Alright," said Blake, "Jenna stand by to give one last boost of power. We will take liberator to standard by 13 and hold it for as long as we can. That will mean we will run out of power somewhere near this planet," he indicated it on the tactical display. "If we are still being chased, we can abandon ship and set Liberator on a planet dive, without the plates raised. Then they will have to decide what they want more: Liberator or us."

"That's your plan, Blake?" asked Avon scornfully. "Zen will have to be shut down as it will exceed its safety threshold. You know we can't pilot Liberator for long without the computers."

"You have better suggestion?"

"As a matter of fact. I don't."

Jenna knew she would not be able to hold Liberator in a stable flight path for long. Still, at least it may help avoid some of the plasma bolts. Avon deactivated Zen and the Liberator plunged onwards.

* * *

The noise from the experimental drive rose to a howl. They were now travelling at time distort 12, a little less than their theoretical top speed. Liberator had put up a fair chase, Greggs was impressed. But he felt sure the end was coming. Liberator had to be near the limits of its energy reserves now. Greggs' Predator and ship 3 were out of plasma bolts but Predator 2 still had a full compliment. They would be able to press the attack.

"Target ship is increasing speed again, Sir. Time distort 13," Cooplan reported. It looked as if the pursuit ships would have to exceed their maximum speed. So be it.

"Very good, Cooplan. Let's go one better: time distort 14. We nearly have them. " The sound of the drive rose to a scream as the engines attempted to fulfill the helm's command.

Suddenly, Cooplan shouted in alarm, "Sir! Predator 2 reports multiple failures. Something has malfunctioned in the plasma launch relay. They're aborting the mission and adopting emergency protocols. Wait! I've lost contact."

As a distant explosion rocked the ship, warning lights lit up on Cooplan's console. Suddenly, fires began to break out across the flight deck and the temperature increased dramatically. Smoke poured from the main computer. Greggs' eyes widened but before he could issue a command a ceiling support collapsed smashing the forward array.

"Compound breeches!" Cooplan yelled. "Shutting down drive! Overrides inactive. She's going to explode, Sir!"

Greggs looked round. The drive was tearing the ship apart. His brilliant technological leap had failed. He knew there was only one order left to give. Blake would have to wait.

"Abandon ship. Copy message to Predator 3. And get to an escape pod," he bellowed.

* * *

Avon and Jenna were taking watch, just in case any more advanced pursuit ships lay in wait.

"Still thinking of leaving?" Jenna asked.

Avon looked round, "Blake was lucky. You know as well as I do that Liberator was moments from spinning out of control. If those pursuit ships had been more refined Blake would have been captured."

"And you have an idea about how they could be made safe? " Jenna guessed.

Avon appeared not to hear.

"When the Federation has ships which can match the speed of the Liberator, Blake's days will be numbered. He knows now that the clock is ticking," he paused collecting his thoughts. "The depressing aspect of the whole business is that Blake is incredibly adept at closing the bolt holes I find. He never means to, of course, but somehow it always works out that way," he sighed.

"Perhaps next time you find one, you shouldn't tell Blake," said Jenna.

"Tell me what?" asked Blake entering the flight deck.

Avon and Jenna exchanged glances.


End file.
